On some constitutional-legal aspects of local elections in the Russian Federation

The article discusses the constitutional and legal foundations of the forms of local government elections in the Russian Federation. There are two main features that, according to the author, characterize the nature of local self-government in its modern sense in Russia - this is the rapprochement of citizens and local authorities, as well as the independent implementation of local self-government by the population of municipalities. The author’s concept of independent participation of the population in solving issues of local importance is revealed, as an opportunity for the population to choose the methods of election of local bodies guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. It is established that federal and regional legislation in matters of the election of local authorities gives such a right, as a rule, to representative bodies of local self-government. It is proposed to the regional legislator to guarantee the population only municipal elections or to allow the population to choose their own way of forming local bodies